Archive for February, 2009

This past week has taken its toll on me. My time to graduation is rolling closer and closer, and it seems like there is more and more to do. That is why this weeks show is going to be a hodgepodge of music that I haven’t gotten to over the last couple of weeks, and a mix of CDs that I grabbed from home. There will be no theme tonight. However, since there is no theme its a great night to request some alternative tracks from the 80s and 90s.

On a side note, the title of the post is from a track that I was listening to on the way to work this morning. Recently, several people that I have known peripherally either growing up, or from work that are the same age as me have passed away. When I heard these words sung by Cat Power off her track “Colors and the kids” it made me tear up out of no where. I think this lyric applies to most teenagers, and the saddest thing about young adults dying is that they never have the chance that Chan Marshal sings of. It’s a beautiful song, with probably an entirely separate meaning, but for me it was very poignant on this ordinary Wednesday morning.

1. Simple Minds, Changeling
(Another one I didn’t get to do due to a scratched CD)
2. Depeche Mode, Policy of Truth
3. Superchunk, Animated Airplanes over Germany
4. Frank Zappa, My Guitar Wants to Kill your Mama
(Frank Zappa went out by request, and what a request…)
5.Tears Run Rings, Waiting for the End
(Wanted to play this on the Shoegaze show)
6. Ride, Here and Now
(Shoegaze again)
7. Talking Heads, Slippery People
(Wanted to play this for the Caffeinated Sound show)
8. The Clash, Rock the Casbah
(What a great request again from David in Ithaca NY.)
9. Pixies, Head On
10. Heatmiser, Rest my Head against the wall
11. Galaxy 500, Ceremony
12. The Smiths, The boy with the thorn in his side
13. The Cure, Lovecats
(12 and 13 were two other splendid requests)
14. Guided Voices, Motor Away
15. The Kinks, You really Got me
(Another great request for their Live version.)
16. Pavement, Unfair
17. Mission of Burma, Fame and Fortune
18. The Replacements, Unsatisfied
19. The Breeders, Invisible Man

I love the albums “what would the community think” (1996) and “moon pix” (1998) by Chan Marshall’s Cat Power. At the time, she stood alone. She was novel, her voice was pure, and her lyrics piercing. I’ve included a video off of her album “moon pix”, the track is amazing. She still is recording lots, but its not as mysterious as it was back in the late 90s. I still love her music now, but if I had to choose which album of hers I would have if I was stranded on an island, it would be “what would the community think”.

This Wednesday the show is going to focus around Post Punk, No Wave, and New Wave. I have a tendency to just call all these genres Post Punk. I know that its probably wrong, and they each have unique attributes, but I’m going to lump them all together anyways. When I think Post Punk, I think unique, introverted, and experimental sound. I’m going to try to play some of the bands that defined Post Punk from the late 70s early 80s and then move into some bands that still captured a lot of that sound during the 90s and even now.

This is my favorite show all year. I play songs about love, hate, breaking-up, and female/male angst. If you want to call and make some requests for your favorite sappy or angry love songs, Wednesday from 8 to 10pm at KRUI 89.7 is the time to do it.

I’ve included a shameless self promotion of a painting I did a long time ago about a relationship gone wrong. It’s my artistic contribution to Valentine’s Day:
by HeidiHehnly

Here’s a sampling of stuff I’m going to try and play:

1. The Kinks, Nothin’ in the World Can Stop me Worryin’ Bout That Girl
Possibly one of the best songs about relationships and cheating.
2. Buzzcocks, Why Can’t I Touch it?
I don’t know what they are trying to touch, but I can imagine.
3. Pixies, Here comes your man
4. Echo And The Bunnymen, Lips Like Sugar
I think we all enjoy lips like sugar.
5. Joy Division, Love Will Tear Us Apart
Every relationship goes through this on some level
6. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, I let Love in
7. Sleater Kinney, The size of our Love
8. The Smiths, How soon is Now?
A popular Smiths ditty about love and &*%@.
9. The Breeders, It’s The Love
10. Portishead, Wandering Star
11. The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Anemone
12. Spacemen 3, I love you
13. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, 2 Kindsa Love
Damn, they rock.
14. Guided by Voices, Chasing Heather Crazy
15. Husker Du, I don’t Want to know if you are lonely
Way to have a heart Husker Du.
16. Nirvana, Love Buzz
17. Vaselines, Sex Sux (Amen)
I think they were catholic.
18. PJ Harvey, Send His Love to Me
I’ve included a performance below.
19. Morphine, I know you part two
20. Elliott Smith, Somebody that I used to know
Valentines day play lists everywhere should always have an Elliott Smith track.
21. Superchunk, Makeout Bench
22. Magnetic Fields, I think I need a new heart
23. Tom Waits, Sea of Love
Tom Wait’s version of the heavily covered song by Phil Phillips.
24.Yo La Tengo, Hanky Panky Nohow
25. Lyres, How can I make her mine?
26. The Replacements, I will dare
27. The Stone Roses, Love Spreads
28. Radiohead, True love waits

I started listening to these guys in High School. I bought the album “Here’s where the strings come in” in 97, 2 years after it came out. For the past 12 years its been in my regular listening rotation. I think Superchunk is majorly overlooked, not only for their fun pop sounds, but also for the fact that two of the members went off and started their own record label known as Merge Records. So who is on Merge Records? Bands like Arcade Fire and Neutral Milk Hotel with their album “In the Aeroplane over the Sea”, just to name a few.

Here’s a photo of me (HeidiHehnly) improving my mood with a little “no pocky for kitty” and “here’s where the strings come in”:

Recently I’ve been listening to “here’s where the strings come in” a lot more. I’ve been tired and cranky, and the only pick me up I seem to have is good old Superchunk. There’s something about the tracks Hyper enough, Silver leaf and Snowy tears, Iron on, Animated airplanes over Germany, and Eastern Terminal that just make my day a little better. So the moral of this post is, if you are having a rough time lately where beer, coffee, cookies, or chocolate are just not improving your daily routine, try some Superchunk. I promise, they’ll help.

This week I’m honoring My Bloody Valentine, and the name of my radio show and blog by featuring Shoegaze. My old cohost and I decided to name our 80s and 90s show Radio Loveless because of our deep love for My Bloody Valentine’s 2nd studio release “Loveless”. Everything about this album is awesome, from the beautiful cover art to the haunting yet sexy tracks within. The album was released back in 1991, 2 years after their debut “Isn’t Anything”. We’ve done Shoegaze shows before, but since this is most likely my last semester here at KRUI I’m going to do it once more.

Here’s a photo of My Bloody Valentine:

So what is Shoegaze? Sort of a weird genre name that condenses music that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 80s. The shoegazing sound featured lots of guitar effects, indistinguishable (yet hot) vocals, and creative noise. The bands that started it all were so cool that it’s hard for me not to play their albums on repeat throughout the day. Early Cocteau Twins, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine are the main ones that I always think of, but there are other predecessors and followers that also toy with this style such as the Velvet Underground (like their track Heroin), Sonic Youth, Spacemen 3, Catherine Wheel, Spiritualized, and Yo la Tengo.

She’s an interesting chic. She’s private, rock’s harder than any woman in music, and seems to do her art just to create something that pleases her. In the few interviews that she has done she appears quiet, soft spoken, and maybe a little awkward. However, when she’s onstage she’s a totally different woman.

I’ve included my favorite video by her below and an interview that exemplifies what I stated above. I really don’t know why I like this music video so much. I love the song on her 1993 release Rid of Me. I also like that Steve Albini produced this album, I think the way he helped her sound so raw like you were in the room with her and her band, is perfect. I think this video complements that nicely.